All fans love the anime we grew up with, especially those special moments of fan service or violence that showed us that anime was not messing around. But over the years, the environment in which anime has found itself has changed quite a bit, and the list of anime you can’t watch anymore keeps getting longer. In this post, let’s examine the top banned anime today and explore why the age of streaming might be killing the sexy anime we all love!
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The History of Anime Censorship in Japan
Let’s examine the history of anime censorship, going back to the 1970s!
- The Broadcast-Only Era. Anime is generally broadcast in the early “Golden Time” slot, usually 6–8 pm. No one cared if a pantyshot or a two-second nude scene slipped into their favorite mecha anime. Most censorship of the era focused on limiting violence in series like Fist of the North Star.
- The Rise of OAVs. One innovation that took place at the end of the 1980s was Original Anime Videos. These were single episodes of anime sold directly to fans. The non-broadcast format allowed new series like Aim for the Top! Gunbuster to explore a whole new world of bouncing breasts and nudity that had been impossible before.
- Late-Night Anime. The concept of shin’ya anime — a block reserved for sexy or dark shows airing at 2 a.m. — was born in 1996 as TV Tokyo wrestled with what to do with the overly sexy Those Who Hunt Elves series. It turned out that moving too-sexy-for-kids series into a slot only deviant otakus would care about was a great idea! Now, “adult-focused” anime could be separated from series aimed at kids.
- Sexy Satellite Channels. At around the same time, several satellite streaming channels became popular, allowing for looser regulation. Most uncensored episodes of sexy anime air on channels like AT-X.
- The Modern Streaming Anime Era. When streaming arrived, it seemed to herald a golden age for anime studios. Over time, it became increasingly clear that platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime would focus on certain kinds of anime, but not on studios with back catalogs of panchira anime.
Banned Anime! Why Ecchi Anime That Were Okay in the Past Are Being Ignored Today
Anime You Can’t Watch Anymore (Because It’s Too Sexy for Streaming)
The rise of anime streaming was supposed to fix everything, finally allowing streaming companies to fund anime directly. Unfortunately, it created a divide between classic shows that get picked up for re-broadcast and the overly-sexy series that most companies don’t want to touch. That’s why it can be hard to find our favorite sexy anime from back in the day online. It’s one reason pretty much all of the studios involved with these beloved sexy anime series have gone bankrupt in recent years.
China’s Love-Hate Relationship with Anime
On the one hand, anime has become a global pop-culture powerhouse by telling the stories people want to see. It’s also extremely profitable, attracting investment from companies such as Bilibili. But China is not a place where creators can tell any story they want without limitation. As a result, shows with sexual content or strong violence, including Highschool of the Dead, Death Note, and Attack on Titan have found themselves banned from the Chinese market entirely.
Look How They Massacred My Boy: Censoring Ranma
When it comes to the history of anime nipples, it’s hard to overstate how influential that first brief glimpse of Lum’s bare chest was back in 1982. When I heard about the 2022 Urusei Yatsura remake, I felt sure that Lum’s glorious nipples would be absent this time around. And I was right! When the subsequent reboot of classic ecchi anime Ranma 1/2 was announced, I laughed again. “I bet they remove all the nipples from this series, too.” I’m officially tired of being right.
More Examples of Banned Anime in the Age of Streaming!
Interspecies Reviewers, and Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
Wait a minute. If some anime is too risqué for normal channels, why not make a special way for adult anime fans to enjoy it? The average anime fan is aged 27, after all. But when Funimation pulled the plug on Interspecies Reviewers for being too sexy for their platform, even after (insultingly bad) digital censorship, fans knew the anime world had changed.
Of course, the internet guarantees that every fan who wanted a copy of that series could get it from “certain places” online. While I’m against piracy, the fact that online distribution of anime serves as a “check” against dumb decisions by anime distributors is not a bad thing.
Studios Like Passione Are Fighting the Good Fight
Of course, not all sexy anime is being killed by the reluctance of modern streaming companies to bankroll the next season of To Love-ru Darkness. Thanks to the hard work of studios like Passione, Asahi Production, and TNK, sexy anime series keep getting made. And fans get to watch fun shows like Gushing Over Magical Girls, Isekai Meikyuu de Harem o, and Nukitashi the Animation, which J-List has in stock on Blu-ray. I think fans should do their best to support the creation of these too-sexy-for-streaming anime, and J-List makes sure to carry lots of anime titles in stock for collectors.
(And we should also be sure to mention the streaming sites that are happy to show sexy anime without censorship. I highly recommend OceanVeil if they stream in your country. Read more details on where to watch sexy anime legally in this post.)
Thanks for reading this blog post exploring the history of banned anime, anime we can’t watch anymore due to the silly policies of modern streaming platforms. What are your thoughts on the current state of anime streaming? Tell us in the comments below!
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Happy New Year from your Friend in Japan, J-List! We hope 2026 is a year of happiness and peace for you. To get things off right, we’re having a huge site-wide New Year’s Sale through Jan. 6, giving you 15$ off all in-stock products. Start browsing now!
